Cats can sometimes be destructive with their scratching habit that they end up messing your perfect leather couch. When this happens, what are you supposed to do? We will look at how to protect leather couch from cats and prevent cat scratching from happening in the future.
Before we can get deep into the prevention method, it is best if you understand why the cats even scratch in the first place.
Why Do Cats Scratch?
The first reason cat scratch is to stretch. The scratching activity tends to work as an exercise for the cat so that it can stretch its muscles better. It is why the cat might tend to do it more often as it helps it stretch its body from the toes, neck, and shoulders.
The cat can also scratch as a way of marking. The paws of the cat contain scent glands. When it scratches a surface, it leaves its scent on the furniture as a way of marking the territory. It is a nice way of it communicating to the other cats in the house that this is its post.
The scratching activity can also come in handy to help the pet maintain its claw health. During the scratching activity, the cat will shed its nail husk leaving it with healthy claws all the time.
Scratching also makes the pet to feel good. This activity helps the pet to relieve stress and decrease the chances of the pet developing other unwanted behaviors.
DO NOT Declaw
When people face the question on how to protect leather couch from cats, they sometimes think of declawing the cat. After reading the many benefits mentioned above, then you might want to rethink the whole idea of declawing the pet.
Declawing is also regarded as amputation of the pet. Therefore, the procedure is banned in several countries to help the pet maintain its claws.
Not to worry as we will look at several methods that you can use on how to protect leather couch from cat scratching below. Declawing does not even have to be on your mind.
Tips for Protecting Your Leather Couch from Cat Scratching
There are many ways that you can protect your couch from cat scratching. We will look at the top methods and how best you can apply them. Let us check them out below.
1. Adding Scratch Furniture Protectors
If you find that your pet won’t leave the leather couch alone, you need to invest in a furniture protector.
These furniture protectors are often cheap and easy to apply over the furniture depending on how much space you want to cover.
Depending on the type, you can cover only that side that the cat likes to scratch or it can be a slip cover where you cover most of the parts with the protector.
Other then preventing scratching getting to the leather couch, these protectors will keep the cat pee and vomit from getting to the couch too.
These screen protectors are mostly transparent, so they will not mess up the look of your leather couch. If you get it right, then the leather couch will remain in good shape for a long time to come.
Here are few recommendations on leather couch furniture protectors to keep in mind.
Stelucca Amazing Shields Furniture Protectors
The manufacturer made these furniture protectors to come in different sizes. You can now choose the right size depending on your couch size too. The aim is to make sure that the couch gets the right protection from the cat scratching it all the time.
The best part about the furniture protectors is that they are easy to install. The manufacturer made them to have an impressive adhesive side. You just peel the cover and stick the protector to your furniture. You do not need any tools to install. Within just a few steps, you will be done with the whole process.
You will like choosing this product because it is strong and flexible. Even if your pet tends to scratch on it more often, it will not break or come off the couch. It is also flexible to contour to the scratching activity of the pet.
FixZilla Cat Furniture Protector
If you want to end up with more protection, then this is another choice to consider. The protector is still transparent so that you have a clear view of your furniture any time. Since the protector is wide, you will get better coverage over the leather couch. In the package, you will get protectors of varied sizes, so make sure to choose the right one for your couch size.
The protector is also flexible. It will then not affect the look and feel of the furniture. Even when you want to use the couch more often, you will not have a problem as it feels the same. The bendable material is also good for the cat’s scratching activity as it will bend to the scratching. The cat will not even notice there is a protection on the leather couch.
As for the installation, you will find it being easy to install the transparent protector. It should more reason you get more people going for it. The package also comes with twist pins that can be attached onto the protector to keep if from coming off easily.
Maoyea Furniture Protectors Couch Furniture Protector
This is another great choice for protecting your couch from pet scratches. It is still transparent to make the couch still look the same even when the protector is applied. As a result, the protector does not affect the aesthetics of your couch.
The package comes with all the important installation accessories that you need. This includes the use of twist needles and a complete guide on how to use them. If you want to apply the protector to your leather furniture, it is best not to use the twist needles. This is because they might end up affecting the sofa surface.
Other than protecting the couch from scratches, it can be good for stopping water, pee, and other spills from seeping into your furniture. As such, the furniture can maintain its look for a lot longer.
2. Add Scratching Surfaces into the House
You will have to resolve to this when the behavior seems uncontrollable still. So, what would want to do on how to protect leather couch from cats under this section? The best way would be installing several scratching areas and objects for the pet to use.
Such surfaces include the scratching posts and scratching pads.
When the pet gets distracted from scratching your couch, it would have found something better. The use of scratching posts for cats has been around for a long time. Just make sure that you get the best scratching posts for the pet to enjoy using.
Depending on the scratching post, some can have additional uses. Let us check out some of the top options in the market as scratching posts.
Petter Cat Scratching Post
One thing that stands out for this cat scratching post should be the premier material. The material is good on overall to help in keeping the post usable for a long time. To make this possible, the manufacturer uses high grade wood with a protective lacquer applied to it. There is also the use of natural sisal with no smell. As a result, the pet will have a good time playing on this scratching post more often.
The post is wall-mounted. This means that you can mount it in a room that the pet likes to do most of the scratching. Place it in a position that allows for the pet to reach it and do some stretching. It would be useless if the pet cannot reach the post.
It is also cage mounted so that it becomes versatile. So long as there is a place to mount it, then that should not be a problem.
WIKI 002G Cat Tree with Scratching Posts
This product is several important cat accessories rolled up into one. You will find it being ideal as a cat tree and a scratch post too. When you provide your pet with such a product, it will not keep scratching your leather couch.
You simply have to place it against the wall and watch your get have a great time using the cat tree. The use of high-quality faux fur is great for long time scratching. Even if the pet likes to scratch, the material can live up to the whole activity.
The cat tree has up to three levels for the cat to climb. If you have several cats in the house, each one would find a nice place to relax and scratch too on this cat tree.
There is also the playing ball on the tree. In addition to the scratching posts, the cats will also enjoy the hanging ball. You are likely to find your pet on this cat tree more often.
3. Train your Pet to Stop Scratching
Still on how to protect leather couch from cats, consider training your pet to scratch other surfaces rather than your couch.
Start by training the cat to stop scratching the leather couch. This can be through scolding, startling, and sometimes spritzing the cat with water each time you find it scratching the leather couch. This will drive the message to the cat that it needs to stop doing so.
Since the cat still needs to scratch somehow, train it to use scratching surfaces that you have provided in the house. It can be the scratching posts, pads, cat trees, and blankets. After a few sessions of scratching the posts and these other surfaces, the cat will shift its attention to using them more often.
So, each time the cat ends up scratching the leather couch, make sure to scold it and when it uses the scratching posts, reward it. After a few weeks, you will not have a problem of the pet going to scratch on the leather couch any more.
Conclusion
When it comes to how to protect leather couch from cats, there are several methods available. We have discussed some of them above and given you the products that you might want to consider the next time you want to protect your couch. The last thing you will ever need to do is declaw the cat. It always needs its claws. So, provide it with an alternative surface to scratch instead of declawing the pet.
